I make no bones about 2020 being perhaps the worst year I've experienced, but one bright spot amid the sadness and horror was the fantastic music which was released last year. Perhaps my favorite album release was Boston-based Sweeping Promises record Hunger for a Way Out, which evokes the best of late 70s post-punk with its sparse sound, with melodic basslines and jagged guitar riffs, punctuated with short bursts of synthesizers. The heart of the band is Lira Mondal, whose sweet vocals and chunky bass define the band's sound.
In the post-vaccine world, the band has been touring, and they sound even better live than they do in the studio (I miss the synth-noodling though), with the vocals taking precedent in the mix. Here's the title track for their debut album:
I've always been partial to upbeat songs with somewhat downbeat lyrics, and Lira's opening "You're older" sets the tone for this short, sharp song about aging and regret. There's nothing about this song that I don't love. For pure comedy, here's the song Atelier, which I think could have been called 'Etsy Regretsy', with its tale of a craft-disaster perp contemplating a masterful artist who even has a nail color named after her:
While I love my job, working weekends does has its disadvantages, as the band played in Brooklyn recently, while I was stuck on the job. Here's Out Again, my introduction to the band:
It's good to know that this terrific new band has been able to tour. I sincerely hope that they will be able to record a follow-up to last year's fantastic debut, and continue to tour safely in a post-pandemic-ish future.
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